Bridge Industrial Halts Plans for Baxter’s Deerfield HQ

In a turn of events marked by local opposition and pushback from residents, Baxter International will keep and upgrade its headquarters campus after Chicago developer Bridge Industrial nixed plans to turn it into an industrial park, reported Crain’s.

The multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company’s CEO, José Almeida, announced in a letter to employees that the company was no longer working with JLL to sell the campus and would remain committed to upgrading the current site.

Bridge Industrial’s proposal had drawn the ire of area residents and the village of Deerfield officials, which forced the firm to withdraw the proposal to the village of Deerfield in June, ultimately leading to the project’s demise.

This year, Baxter announced plans to spin off its renal care and acute therapies units as an independent, publicly traded company and followed up with layoffs and other cost-cutting moves amid challenges and a failed acquisition bid for Hillrom.